Closer
by Abi2
Summary: How can you save someone you can't touch!


I DO NOT OWN GUNDAM WING, ANY OF THE CHARACTERS, OR NIN "CLOSER"

The sounds of percussion grenades and vernier engines, the explosions, the loud cracks of gunfire. The steady rythym of footsteps, giant, hollow, metallic footsteps as the suits came out of the dust and debris. The sound of laughter, maniacal, strange and wild. The radio crackles as the fight wears on. The remaining MS retreat, falling back into the ruins of their former base.

A loud cheer is heard from one of the four suits, the attackers.

You let me violate you

"Oi, 01! What a fight! How's your beam cannon, it looked a bit ragged at the end there. maybe once we get back to base camp, we can fix it up. I have to work on 'Scythe's thermo scythe anyways, we can tinker together. You know what they say "those who build together tend not to kill each other with their malfunctioning weapons", eh?" A laugh, ringing through the comm, tinny and painful.

"Hn. I will make the needed adjustments. ALONE."

"But 01!"

"Omae o korosu."

A look, not seen by any but the pilot who looks at his reflection in the broken glass of the screens in his cockpit. Hurt, but still smiling. Knowing that even as he said it, Heero still acknowledged that there was something off about his cannon.

"02, roger and out 01." The signal went dead. No one noticed when "02" lagged behind a bit. He had to staunch the flow of blood coming from his wounded shoulder, had to tie it off before Quat could fuss over it. Not that he didn't mind Quat fussing, but REALLY. It was just a bit of shrapnel. No major damage. He could rotate the arm, nothing was stuck in there, it was a clean through-and-through. No muscle damage that couldn't be repaired with the clever use of sleep and pain pills.

After all, Heero did it all the time.

It was nothing.

You let me desecrate you

They landed at the base camp, literally at the base of the nearby mountain range. The suits gave off steam as they cooled in the crisp night air, engines quiet for the first time in sixteen hours. The utter stillness lost on everyone except for the one who had been left there, waiting for their safe return. He was told to blow camp if he got the signal, and he had spent every moment of those hours praying that he wouldn't have to.

"Quat! Good to see you! How's the arm? Better? Didja make some food? I'm absolutely STARVING."

He could make little of any situation, could make Quatre forget being tense for sixteen straight hours, waiting for news.

"Duo! Yeah, the arm's much better now. I should be able to pilot by Friday, that's two days from now for you, Mr "I can't remember what day it is when I've been stuck inside a Gundam for ever and ever"! And yes, I have food ready for all of you. Now get your butts inside. We can do repairs and run diagnostics later. YUY! That means you too!"

Duo snickered. "I love it when you get all "Do what I say or I'll kick your ass". It's just so freaking funny!" He laughed, as if to show how funny he found it. He winced, barely, as his shoulder pulled.

"Perhaps you should get some medical assistance for that shoulder. It looks rather painful." A smirk, biting and cruel.

"Thanks... WuFei. I think I will..." 'I'll kick your ass for saying that!' Painfully said, with the utmost care to not let the anger sound true in his voice.

"Oh Duo! You didn't mention that you were wounded! Alright, everyone inside for body checks! Yes WuFei, that means you too."

A smug grin.

"Haha, gotcha back." Whispered beside WuFei's ear as Duo strolled inside, knowing that he had seen WuFei take some serious damage. It was so nice to be so cruel sometimes...

Quatre, as suspected, mother-henned them all. He treated their wounds, then steered them towards the food he had prepared. A simple meal of rations and some small extras (hot cocoa with marshmallows for Duo and Trowa, a side of rice for WuFei and Heero).

Then, as expected, the four went outside and ran diagnostic checks that would run for hours so that they could sleep. They all fell into bed, grateful for the chance to rest.

You let me penetrate you

They all woke up sweating, screams smothered in their throats. Even the toughest soldier will have nightmares, even the bravest soldier will fall in the face of his dreams. Eight hours of rest, and then it was up again, repairs to be made, scans to be done, so much to do.

"Heeeeerooo. I thought that we were gonna work together! Yanno, you fix my guidance system, I'd look at the buster rifle... That whole discussion just totally flew past you huh." Duo rolled his eyes. Throwing up his hands in a classic gesture of surrender, he said loudly, "why me?" and walked away smiling. He shimmied into the crawlspace of his beloved Deathscythe, tinkering, fixing. His laptop ticking away, telling him how much work he had yet to do.

"Yeah yeah!" he barked at it as it beeped out another finding. "I KNOW that the counter-balance is off! Why the HELL d'you think I'm FUCKING in here! Why do you think I'm sweating my ass off, trying to fix all this shit! It ain't cause I like it! Noooo... I really don't like being crammed up your crawlspace, trying to bend in ways that should be impossible! I just want you to... ugh. Fix yourself or something!" He turned on the mix function of his music, trying to drown out his bad language from prying (and presumably innocent) ears. The constant thump thump thump of the deep bass drowning out all other sensations. It almost felt like another battle, another of the endless fights.

He could feel himself trying to fight the bone-deep exhaustion that had been slowly setting in since the five-hour mark. His hand slipped as he tightened yet another loose screw that held the wiring inside the panels of his cockpit. The corresponding jolt of electricity was all it took to send him into unconsciousness.

You let me complicate you

Heero ignored the heavy bass sounding through the Gundam across the makeshift hangar from his own Wing. Trowa had finished repairs to HeavyArms already, having come into the thick of the battle after the rest of them. WuFei was still tinkering, trying to recalibrate the power drive of his Shenlong's firearm. He gave a cursory glance to Deathscythe, taking in the state of repairs. He heard the music cut off suddenly, in the middle of a song. Maybe Duo had finished? But he still had to work on the thermal scythe, and his cockpit door need some work. He sat for a few minutes, waiting for the boisterous pilot to come bounding out, talking at a mile a minute. After three minutes, he shouted over, "Oi, Maxwell. What's your repair status?"

There was no reply. He tugged the rip line and touched ground, walking quickly over to the other Gundam.

"Duo, what's going on? Respond soldier!"

Again there was no answer. He pressed the button for the rip, and when it came and he got to the cockpit, he bit back a curse at the sight inside. The stereo had gone out because he had freaking shot the electric board... He looked at Duo, assessing the damage to his person.

"Well, may as well get you down. It'll be more comfortable when you come to." He grunted as he lifted the teen, careful to gather his braid into his hand so that it wouldn't catch on anything. He tugged the rip line again, carefully holding Duo whilst trying to get down. Just as his feet touched ground, he felt Duo stir, and gently placed him on the ground.

"Oh MAN my head hurts. Fucking guidance system! I'ma kick it's fucking -- helloo... Ummm. Hi Heero." He managed to flush spectacularly, wincing as his shoulder bandage caught in his hair.

"Umm, yeah. So...oops?" He tried to laugh it off, but the stern look from Heero was enough to make anyone cringe.

"You should pay closer attention to what you're doing next time. Because I won't get you out of it again." He turned, missing the cold look on Duo's face.

"Yessir!" Came the mocking reply, and Heero swore he could hear the words "bastard", "Yuy", and "stick". Now, what interesting combinations could result from those? He laughed silently, in that part of him that hardly ever showed itself. He scowled, trying to get the laughter out. It sounded scarily like Maxwell...

Duo was not having such a great time however, as he limped his way back to the rip line, and winced at the ache behind his eyes. He got back into the cockpit, turned on the stereo again, and let the music pound into his aching body, channeling his pain into the corresponding beats.

After another two hours of non-stop work, he practically fell from Deathscythe, smudges of oil on his face, his hands, in his hair. He looked at himself in the polished metal of his Gundam, wondering when the hell he had gotten so OLD. So tired. He sighed, pasting on his traditional "I'm tired, so go away" smile and trudged back to the camp, watching the last few spots of sun fade away behind the mountaintops. It was a beautiful sight, one that had stirred many men to greatness, but only inspired hatred on his part. The sun died everyday on Earth, to be reborn anew. On the Colonies, they couldn't see the sun unless in the proper rotation, and then it was still just a figment. It was another light. What was so special about a star that moved poets to write, and painters to paint? That inspired warriors to continue on in their wars, their lives.

He was like that star, burning brightly for all to see, but the ones that mattered would only ever see him as just another light. Just another source of energy, boundless and giving.

But no.

He was so tired of his energy, so tired of being hated and reviled, of being just another light.

But, for him, for them, he would be.

Help me

He finished his long walk, grumbling to himself about cold water and idiot stars, when he heard footsteps behind him. His hand went to his gun, and he could feel the reassuring weight of his wrist and calf- sheathes.

He twirled, gun aimed, ready to fire if necessary. He laughed, but kept his gun trained on the figure none-the-less.

"What'cha want WuFei? I've gotta date with the stream down there." He smiled mockingly. It was always fun to push WuFei's buttons, it was so easy to do.

"Yuy sent me to get you. It's another mission, you and him. No dates tonight Maxwell." he grinned, still wary of the gun pointed at him.

"And lower your weapon, it's hardly necessary to continue to threaten me. I'm just the messenger." He turned coolly, showing his trust, or his idiocy.

"Yeah, well so am I, and this is one messenger no one likes to listen to."

He said it quietly, to no one but himself.

I've broke apart my insides

He was still covered in those oil spots, and now to top it off, he had mud, shit, blood, and some unidentified _yuck_ in his hair. He was breathing hard, ignoring the fiery pain blossoming in his side as he kept running. He could see Heero just meters ahead, could sense OZ just meters behind. He pulled his comm to his mouth, breathing harsh, but still managing to tell this to Heero.

"01, they're right behind me, I'll take them around, meet you at designated area at," he looked at his watch, "06:00 hours." That was two hours from now, giving him enough time to lose these idiots, and make it back to Scythe before the others blew without him.

"Roger 02. 01 out."

He saw Heero speed up, just before he glanced behind and made a mad dash to the right, hoping that they would only see him, and follow. He ran, and ran. Then continued running, and hiding for a few minutes to catch his breath and hastily bandage the oozing wound in his thigh. He heard them coming closer and he bolted, aiming for the next rock outcropping, just managing to get there before they could shoot him again.

"I hate being," he dodged another shot, "BAIT!" he yelled as he was hit with another shot, well placed too. At least this one, a graze on his right bicep, didn't do too much damage. He could feel the bullet in his thigh, it hadn't exited.

"FUCK! BITCHES! THAT'S IT! THAT'S THE LAST--!" before he could finish both his sentence and his clip, they got him twice more. He could hear them, hear his own labored breathing.

Pain, blossoming in a hot gush beneath his fourth rib, arcing through to just beside his solar plexus. His breath coming in wet, ragged gasps. The other trail of fire was burning though his shoulder again. Now his shoulder wounds, both old and new, were on fire, effectively immobilizing the shoulder.

He fell to one knee, still firing despite his difficulty breathing. He could feel to hot trickle of blood as his punctured lung filled with it, as he gasped more desperately for air.

He twisted, trying to reach his extra clip, but the movement sent waves of pain lancing through his ribcage as he realized that the bullet was caught in his fractured rib, grating against raw nerves.

He went down on all fours, couching harshly, spitting up blood and bits of gore. They came closer, one firing a shot next to his hand that he only managed to flinch from. Darkness was creeping into his vision, he could hear them talking, but couldn't make out individual words.

His shoulder ached, his thigh was numb, he couldn't feel his hands or feet. His ribs were a fiery mass of _hurt_, and he was still trying to suck in enough air.

He managed to slip one of his knives into his hand just as they got near enough. They tried to reach for him, pull him up off of his hands and knees. He lashed out, catching one in the neck, another in the arm, where the knife stayed lodged. He gasped again, falling to his butt, feeling the hot blood dribble down his chin. He could see their faces, disgusted at him, pity - filled. He got to another knife, seeing as the other one was still in the soldier's arm, and when they got close enough again he took out another one. The loud shot was dim in his ears, the pain didn't register as he fell back. His other shoulder was now useless, the shot having gone through -and -through his muscle.

His gasping started to soften, his eyes open. He could see the beginning of the sunrise, seeing it from his dying eyes. It wasn't beautiful, nor was it profound. It was simply an ironic way to end his existence. He was born to darkness in the colonies, and everyone he ever loved had died in darkness.

Not everyone.

Heero was still alive. That was all he could pray for.

Help me

_"Pilot of 02 in custody, noted with extensive injuries. May expire before questioning."_

That was the most information that they'd gotten from all their searching for five hours. A 6:00, when Duo didn't show, and made no response to his coded messages, he was MIA, presumed killed or captured.

Heero almost wished it was killed.

Even as much as the thought killed him inside, he knew that it would be him having to rescue, or as was more likely in light of the "extensive injuries", kill him. And how could he kill someone he was so familiar with? His partner, his friend.

The one he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, loved him, and Heero loved Duo back. He may not know exactly hat love was, may not know what he was feeling... But he knew that he didn't want to pull that trigger. Didn't want to see those soulful eyes look at him from the barrel of his gun; dead, accepting. Broken. He would be broken.

They both would.

He was startled out of his reverie by the sound of an incoming message, he opened the coded e-mail, deciphered it, and nodded.

_01 - _

_02 needs to be taken care of. Try to salvage if possible. Otherwise -- terminate._

_J_

He hoped that termination wouldn't be necessary. He hoped that he could get them both out... For both their sakes. He hit a comm link, waited for the answering beep.

"05. What's the status 01?"

"02 is captured, presumed alive. Orders are to infiltrate and salvage. If unsalvageable, terminate."

"Is this a group effort?"

"It was not specified. Do you have another mission?"

A pause.

"No. I'll see if 03 and 04 are free."

Heero sighed, already hacking his way into the OZ database to find Duo's whereabouts.

"03 says that he can spare two days, and a team of Maguanacs, 04 is on a mission now, and will be for eight days."

A team of fighters, three Gundams, and one incapacitated pilot.

"Lets do it."

"Where is he being held? I've been scanning, but nothings forthcoming."

"As far as I've gotten, I think he's still in the area, so probably at the base in the next quadrant. They have medical facilities there, far better than the ones we destroyed in our last attack. I'm sure he's there."

"Won't Une and Krushenada have thought of that? What if they've planned this all, and he's dead and just bait."

Heero smiled.

"Because one of his favorite lines in a mission was "I hate being bait." He's alive. If he were dead, they would be celebrating the demise of one of the dreaded Gundam pilots. Right now, they're waiting, hoping to get information before announcing his capture and subsequent death."

Heero shuddered at his own words, wondering how he could be so detached, talking about the death of his close friend and comrade...His infatuation. He was hesitant to call it love... What if it wasn't?

But far more daunting...

What if it was?

I've got no soul to sell

There was no slow transition, no sleep-like state where he gradually came into his senses.

No, he was hit with them all at once, like a freight train through his head.

He could _feel_ the drugs in his system, he could _feel_ the holes in his body. They were throbbing masses of pain, so much so that he almost passed out again. He tried to mask his awakening, like Heero did that time he broke him out of the Alliance hospital...

But he wasn't good at it obviously, because he heard a woman's soft footsteps, with hard military boots on.

"Une?" he wheezed around the tubes in his mouth.

"Why, if it isn't our clever little escape artist. How are we feeling today pilot 02?" She chuckled darkly.

"Perky. Ready and rarin' to go." He wheezed, he voice not keeping up with his determination.

"Good, 02. Because we've got a lot to do today, before any of your... friends... notices your rather long absence. So, why not let's go to the interrogation room, no?" She moved to call the guards and doctor when he coughed and wheezed, trying to talk.

"What is it?" there was no concern in her tone, merely annoyance.

"I've got something for you... some info. Just for you." he was whisper-wheezing. She looked hesitant, but moved closer none the less.

"What type of information 02?"

He grinned around the tubes, sticking up his middle finger.

"Fuck you, Lady."

He closed his eyes and listened to them as they moved his bed. He knew he was in for it, but he just _had_ to do it. It was so perfect!

---Meanwhile---

Heero, WuFei, and the team of Maguanacs were preparing to retrieve Duo. The plan so far included distraction bombs, lots of shooting, and a big "boom" at the end. Quatre was currently trying to plan something better, but was failing in light of his need to get going as soon as possible.

"Okay, WuFei, you and I will infiltrate and set the primary charges, while locating Duo. Quatre and the Magunacs will follow behind and cover us when we leave. We'll rendezvous back here."

He looked around the room, gauging reactions to the plan. He showed no emotions outside, but he was teeming with them inside. He was anxious, angry, and ready to blow up shit.

Never a good combination.

"Alright then."

---Back to Duo---

He was _sitting_. In a chair. A metal chair. In a hospital gown and handcuffs.

"Oooh Lady, I didn't know you were so kinky. Handcuffs and dresses."

SMACK.

He felt sutures struggle to keep his flesh closed, trying to let him heal. He grinned again, still wheezing even without the tube.

"02, where is your Gundam hidden?"

A dangerous smirk. "Up your ass."

"Wrong answer."

Another hit, this time from a guard with rough knuckles, right in the center of his chest. The sutures opened a bit further, blood seeping out, staining the gown.

"02, where are the other pilots?"

A bloody grin. "Next to my Gundam -- up your a--"

A tazer to his bicep.

"Where are they?"

"Up your ass."

Another shock.

"Where are they?"

"In HIS ass." He nodded his head to the guy with the tazer. Punch man came up and punched his jaw. He worked it furiously, trying to take the sting out.

"I can do this all day." She told him, arms crossed sitting on the chair across from him.

"SO can I bitch, so can I." He spit blood onto her shoes.

Another shock, another punch, another smack. It went on and on.

Hours later, he was still handcuffed to the chair, but he could no longer keep his head up. All the shocks, and the blood loss... The damage to his system.

"Mmmm... Uuuuuuunnnneeee... Come back. Let's play a game." He chuckled insanely, watching the slow trickle of blood seeping out from his ragged gown. They had left him here, presumably to let him "think".

"You can't possibly be tired yet. I'm still awake. I'm still alive..." He heard a click as the door opened, and a doctor came in. He didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes said more than enough.

"So... how long've I got doc? Can's'cha patch me up? Yanno, a little drywall, a few new fuses. I'll be good as new in no time, right." He laughed harshly before cursing as the doctor poked around his wounds.

"This is going to take much more than 'just some drywall' son. This is more of a 'tear down the house and build a new one' kind of repair job."

"Who woulda known that life-and-death situations could be summed up in terms of home repair?" He laughed and kissed, feeling the needle full of drugs being injected into his system.

"Mmm doc, whatcha doin'?" He could feel himself going numb, a feeling of bliss right then.

"This is a concoction that we needed testing on, and see, now we've got the perfect guinea pig." Said Une with a smirk.

Une stood in front of him, and so was... he was so tall... Duo couldn't get his head to look up anymore, so he just ignored the new person.

"He seems to be in rather bad shape... just what have you done to him?"

"I know you...I know your... v...voish..." his words were starting to slur together, his ability to think rapidly deteriorating. His head was lifted up, and his unfocused eyes met a face he'd only seen in vids, and through his comm screen.

"Zeksh. Fuck..."

His head rolled back to his chest when Zechs let go of it.

"What's this drug supposed to do?"

"It immobilizes the person, and impairs their judgments. Things like distances, time, feelings are distorted. There is another experimental drug in there that make them answer any question without hesitation, which usually doesn't give them time to lie. We've never been able to test it on humans yet, so we aren't quite positive if it's completely up to working order, but..." She paused and smiled. " there is one more drug, and it's one of the more...creative drugs in it. After a few minutes, every nerve in their body starts to fire at random, creating a chain reaction to any touch. Let me demonstrate." She leaned in and put her hand gently under his chin, raising his head just like Zechs had. Only this time, instead of unfocused, his eyes were panicked, he couldn't seem to follow anything, his eyes on a time delay.

Then he screamed.

Her fingers were barely caressing his chin, and yet waves of pure, unadulterated _pain_ rolled through him. It felt like she was stabbing his skin with thousands of needles, all over his body. He screamed until he went hoarse, and until his throat bled.

Zechs watched all of this in a seemingly cool manner, never once flinching as they drilled the captive for information. Only once did they get an answer from him.

Only once out of nine hours of intensive torture.

"Who are you?"

He whimpered, answering quickly, just like all the other times. This time was unlike those however, because he actually answered the question posed. For the last few hours his answers were mostly crap like "i don't know, ask another." "Maybe next time." "Yes, you should."

He sounded like a Magic Eightball or a bunch of fortune cookies.

This time...

This time the answer was simple.

"I am the God Of Death."

"What is your name?"

"Duo Maxwell."

"Who is the God Of Death then?"

"Duo Maxwell."

Lady Une looked up at Zechs, guaging his reaction to this answer.

"Well, now we know his name. I've heard him over the comm links of the busted suits. He screams about being the God Of Death, and how all who see his face shall die." He laughed." Maybe you shouldn't look in mirrors anymore, huh Duo Maxwell."

"I try not to. Don't wanna look vain, like you." He spit.

Zechs didn't even realize that he had moved before he found his hands wrapped around that slender, pale neck; staring into his deep indigo eyes. They were so blue, they were purple. He could see such pain in them, not just physical pain either. It was like looking into a mirror.

"You shouldn't look into the eyes of Death they say. You'll fall in love with dying."

His hands squeezed a little tighter, feeling the muscles working, tying to get air to the boy to scream, to live.

They all looked around when they heard the thump of an explosion.

"Time's up Une. That's my cue. Exeunt all!" He laughed, still choking from Zech's touch, and his trying to strangle him.

Help me

Une quickly got up and backhanded him, motioning for the doctor to bring the syringe in his hands. Duo could feel every nerve on fire when the needle plunged into his skin. They injected another serum, different from the last.

"This batch has no interrogational value. It's eighty percent neuro-facilitator, ten percent Valium, and the rest is a saline. If you do survive it, I wish you the best of death. You'll pray for it."

She looked at him, seeing for perhaps the first time how young he was, how small and very fragile. He put up such a good act, but when her last words had sunk in, his eyes just fell apart.

For once, she actually felt remorse for her action, made in such haste.

"I'm sorry.." So soft it was hardly a whisper.

He looked at her, motioning with his eyes for her to leave.

She didn't look back, knowing that when she died, it would be by his hands.

The only thing that works for me

The plan was, so far, working. They had run into little resistance, which was rather unnerving, but still made it easy to get further into the compound to locate their friend.

When they heard the scream, they both stopped. There was something primal, something so utterly terrifying in that scream. They looked at each other before running full tilt towards the source.

When they got to the room, they stopped. They just... stopped and stared.

There was blood everywhere, the floor, the walls, the ceiling. Enough blood for two dead bodies. Almost three.

Then they saw him, huddled in the corner, tears running down his face, even as he screamed silently. The two guards dead on the floor beside him, and a pair of handcuffs wet with blood next to them.

"Duo!" they both shouted, running towards him. He shook his head and held out his hands.

"STOP!", it was little more than a whisper.

"D...dddon't t..t..touchchch mmmmee. Ththththere's a dddrrdrug..." That was all he got out before WuFei was forced to touch him to shield him from pieces of the ceiling that were falling.

Duo froze, every nerve, every inch of his skin... His eyelids down to his little toe... He could feel WuFei's touch on every part of his skin.

And he screamed. It was silent, his voice gone from screaming so much before. His eyes clenched shut, forcing him to feel even more. It was a never ending cycle.

"Yuy! Come look at this! You have more knowledge in this field than I. What's wrong with him?"

Heero looked a Duo, his heart shattering at the sight he made. He asked Duo a series of questions, all yes or no. Then Duo pointed (with a pained look on his face) to the table. Heero looked at the mostly empty bottle, and read a few ingredients listed. He turned green, an odd thing for the "Perfect Soldier" to do.

"How are we supposed to rescue someone we can't touch?"

Help me get away from myself

WuFei gasped, dawning realization causing him to back up a few steps.

"Oh gods, by my ancestors! What deranged sort of animals are we dealing with?"

"Uuunne. Aaaand Zuhzuhzechs." Duo managed to add, stuttering badly from the drug pulsing in his muscles. It was torture to talk. To breathe, to live.

There was an answering growl from Heero as he stooped down to Duo, motioning WuFei over to keep watch.

"Listen Duo, I know it hurts." Duo whimpered and nodded.

"I know it hurts Duo, but you have to stay with me. You have to be strong... Be strong for me, okay?" Heero pleaded softly, his eyes shining over bright with unshed tears... Tears for his ... his love.

Duo saw this, and nodded his assent. He would be strong. He could beat this. It was for Heero. Heero who couldn't die in the dark, because he saw how much Heero wanted him to pull through this... Maybe it was love, maybe it wasn't. But to him, right now in the face of death, it would do.

He could live through this.

He survived worse...

Okay, maybe he survived things mildly like this...

Fuck... this was the single most excruciatingly painful moment of his very short life.

And it was getting shorter every minute they stayed in this building.

"Lllleeettss guh guh guh go." instead of talking, now he tried using the hand gestures they all were so familiar with.

_"To the right, You, Me, and Him. Split if needed."_ There was an unspoken 'leave me if I say to.'

"Can you stand at all?" Duo shakily tried to stand without touching the walls or Heero as much as possible, succeeding at last when he stood on his own. He got three steps out, and the thigh wound, which had opened some time during the nine hours, was now his undoing. He had lost a large amount of blood, and his nerves _sang_ to him. He started to fall, but was caught before impact. He screamed through clenched teeth, hissing.

"Sorry, but we'll have to carry you. It will be incredibly painful... Try to hold on. Go unconscious if necessary, but as long as you're conscious, try to hold the gun."

Heero handed him the gun, his heart breaking at the sight of Duo whimpering at the pain of it all, but silently bearing it.

For him.

For them.

For what they could be.

I wanna fuck you like an animal

WuFei took point, leading them through the maze of corridors, shooting as necessary. Duo was in so much pain he was starting to drift. It was too much to handle, too much information. Sensory overload.

They broke into the sunshine, and after a quick scout, ran dead on to their pick up point where the Maguanacs were waiting to blast the hell out of anyone following. The three of them would then leave Quatre and the Maguanacs to cover their flight to the camp. They would asses damages, then try to get to the next safe house.

However, Duo was more frequently out than in, and was making if harder for Heero to keep up. Heero shouted to WuFei to slow down, and tried to juggle Duo into his arms so he could pass him to WuFei. Just as he got Duo off his back, shots hit the ground in a spray of dirt and rocks. He shoved Duo into WuFei's arms with the command of "RUN."

He whirled, breathing hard, trying to find the calm soldier inside. He centered himself, firing precise shots, killing eight of the soldiers behind them before a bullet went through his calf, and another through the thigh of the other leg. He managed to set his teeth and continue firing. He took advantage of the break in fire and ran hard to get closer to the point, only to find the point rapidly moving towards him.

He ducked as Sandrock spewed bullets over his head before being flanked by Maguanac MS's. He pulled his swords and went, with apparent gusto, into slicing up every available target.

_Note to self: NEVER piss of Winner._

His inner-Duo laughed, filing the thought away none the less. He contiued his run, slwer this time, to his suit. He could see Duo curled into a full fetal position, hands clenched painfully tight around his hair, losing the battle against the pain.

Heero was sucking in air, trying to calm himself.

"Duo! Listen to me, LISTEN! You can fight it. You have to fight it. We need you. The colonies and the earth need you. I need you... Please Duo, don't let the pain rule you."

Heero was pleading, and he knew it. WuFei came out of Shenlong and watched the scene. He said nothing, eyes shuttered.

"Yuy, one of us needs to program DeathScythe, and the other needs to get Maxwell into their Gundam. I suggest you program the Gundam, I'm not good at bypassing Maxwell's security measures. GO YUY." He added as Heero looked about to protest. Heero shook his head and did as he was told. It was in his "programming" to follow orders, even ones from his comrades. He got into DeathScythe and wasted precious time getting past the security and then programming th autopilot to follow to the given coordinates. He ripped down and strode over to Wing, ignoring his heart telling him that HE should be the one carrying Duo. His brain was working overtime to remind him that this was the best solution. He started Wing and waited for WuFei's go ahead.

Meanwhile WuFei was trying to talk to Duo.

"Duo, I know I'm not Heero, and I think that it doesn't much matter at this point, but I want to get you to Shenlong, so I'm going to have to carry you." He stopped to pick up the shaking pilot.

"Boy, you don't look it, but you're fairly solid here." He laughed, making light of it.

"Years of starvation... I got a little over-excited about eating." His voice was so quiet, he was barely whispering. At least he wasn't stuttering anymore.

"Can you talk, or is that my imagination trying to fool me into a false sense of security?" He tried to situate Duo as best he could in the cramped space behind the pilot's seat.

"I'm sorry Duo, but you know how we barely have room as it is, but.. I'm sorry."

"What? None of your 'deal with it Maxwell'? Who are you and where's Wuffers?"

"You know I detest that name. Although it is a sight better than 'Waffles.' Made me hungry every time you said it. And no, none of that. Despite my insistence to the contrary, I really do like you. You aren't an addle-brained idiot. You're stronger than you let on."

They were in the air, waiting for the time to pass by, getting ever-closer to their goal.

"I think I'm about to be really, really sick..." WuFei turned in his seat until he could see Duo better, and sure enough, he looked ready to puke.

"I've swallowed too much blood... Nothing to eat...So much _pain_. God WuFei..." He cut off, apparently to try to hold his stomach from rebelling. WuFei quickly went to land, telling Heero what was going on. They got down on the ground and just as the hatch was opening, Duo crawled over to the edge and lost the entire contents of his stomach, sobbing and dry heaving for a few minutes.

"Oh GOD that hurt. Everything hurts. I dunno if Herro told you, but they gave me something... I can't remember if they told me what it was, but it was some kind of interrogation--" He heaved once more, spitting as he finished. "Interrogation drug. It fires every nerve in my boy. Every pain receptor set on high." He heaved once more then indicated he was finished. "It was... well, torture."

He cried out in agony as his back touched the metal of the cockpit.

"Hurts..." He whimpered, eyes squeezed shut. WuFei made a chocked noise, listening to Duo's cries, soft keening wails every time the Gundam jostled him.

"We should be there in about twenty minutes. Brace yourself for landing." Was all WuFei could say after listening to his litany of cries and whimpers, barely discernible in the mechanical hum of the giant machine.

Landing was hard, but once they were on the ground, WuFei looked back only to find Duo unconscious.

AAAAAAANNNNNNNNDDDDDD THE EEEEEENNNNNNDDDDD

I haven't a clue where my actual storyline went. It started out **much** differently. This was supposed to be a 1x2 fic with... well... it was different.

Please review? I don't think I'll keep writing on it unless **someone** reviews. The last two I've posted have gotten no reviews, and it makes me leery of posting any more. Is it bad?

Is it at all worth trying to save?  
I think I may just write the other plot-bunny... If it will stay still long enough to catch and write...

Le sigh.

Oh, and for those who are confused time-wise (like me!) I have a listing of **approximate** times of everything:

Duo: 05:00 capture, 08:00 wake, 1700 (5:00) saved

Heero waits to 06:00 to fly w/o Duo; 07:30 get to camp. 10:00 intercept transmission, 14:00 (2:00) planning, 17:00 (5:00) rescue after two 1/2 hrs flight, and time spent searching.


End file.
